Knee arthritis affects millions of people and the pain associated with this disease can be disabling. Patients who initially present with painful knee arthritis are usually treated non-surgically. Non-surgical treatments are modestly effective at temporarily relieving pain, but are not risk free. Pharmacologic intervention (i.e., non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) has been reported to be associated with significant complications, such as gastric ulcers, strokes and heart attacks. A steroid or viscosupplement injection may lead to infection. Steroid injections may also have systemic effects, such as increased blood sugar and hypertension. Generally speaking, non-surgical interventions are most efficacious for early arthritic disease and do not prevent disease progression.
When non-surgical treatment proves ineffective, surgical intervention is often recommended. Arthroscopic surgery has been shown to have limited effectiveness and has a small role in the management of knee arthritis. More invasive surgical approaches such as high tibial osteotomy and partial or complete knee replacement predictably relieve pain. These major operations, however, are also potentially associated with significant morbidity and occasional mortality. These risks, along with the limited durability of implantable devices, cause patients and physicians to defer surgery until the symptoms become unbearable.
Some research has determined that glutamate transporters and receptors are highly expressed in subchondral proximal tibial bone in patients with osteoarthritis. The degree of expression of these transporters and receptors is directly proportional to the severity of the disease. Further, the increased expression occurs in the subchondral bone adjacent to the arthritic lesion. Thus, subchondral bone is likely an important source of pain management of osteoarthritis. See, “Expression of Glutamate Receptors and Transporters in Human Subchondral Bone in Osteoarthritis” by Christopher Wilson (Oct. 13, 2009).
Accordingly, it is desired to provide an effective, surgical treatment of osteoarthritis, and particularly knee arthritis pain. It is further desired that such surgical treatment be less invasive than high tibial osteotomy and partial or complete knee replacement.